Canada

Carney being a fiscal conservative / pro-free market / pro-private sector business person isn't a surprise to anyone who's paid attention to his career. That the liberals are a centrist party who's values skew left / right based on the perceived 'majority' that exists in the centre, which is the demographic they attempt to target to get elected, isn't a surprise to anyone who's paid attention to the history of the liberal party. That Canada's general sentiment is/had shifted towards the right, in part due to the perception of unequal treatment under the guise of initiatives such as DEI and equity programs, isn't a surprise to anyone who's followed social trends (at least, those who try to get a fairly 'outside of an echo chamber' feel for them).

This isn't to say I support the tax breaks being given to the rich of course. If I had my way, we'd go in a much different direction. All I'm trying to get at is that this isn't all that surprising to many, and it's likely still an outcome they viewed as preferable to PP's conservatives, and to the NDP. Hell, the NDP basically said vote liberal if it helped to stop the Cons.

I'm sure part of the hope is that the liberals will shift right far enough, that the cons won't have a viable path to full control of the government. In theory that'll open up more room for the NDP on the left. Where people who are for some reason 'shocked' by Carney's moves, will find solace.

What's more shocking to me in a way is how far to the left the Liberals had drifted, as a centrist party. That's what opened up opportunities for the cons to make such large gains, and what caused the NDP to be so thoroughly routed. Seeing cons cross the isle because the Liberals are once again more 'centrist' in their values, isn't a bad thing.